Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has reacted to Governor Seyi Makinde’s assertion that Atiku had not reached out or condoled with the government and people of Oyo State over the recent explosion in the state.
Makinde spoke on Monday when he received the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who was in the state on a condolence visit.
Recall that the January 16 explosion killed five persons, injured 77 and destroyed 58 houses in the Old Bodija area of Ibadan, the state capital.
“Let me use this opportunity to thank former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the visit. I thank him because politics didn’t seep into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Actually, the investigation is going on. It was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be.
“It is a place where meant for people to live in; It’s not a mining site. So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen have been looked into.
“I am particularly grateful because the musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The President has called me, and you have reached out to me, but my own party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not called or even sent a text message.
“And I am saying it openly so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics. You have a time for governance and you have a time for humanity. So, we want to say thank you so much, sir. We appreciate this visit,” Makinde said.
Reacting, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe said his principal had commiserated with the state over the incident.
“With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan.
“Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.
“Perhaps the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident,” he said.